Lots of folks in Beaufort were thumbing through their Facebook news feeds on Friday morning and received quite a shock. That’s when everyone found out that long-time Beaufort BBQ spot, Duke’s Barbeque, was closing its doors permanently after serving up Friday’s dinner.
Not wanting to believe the local rumor mill, because we all know too well how off-the-mark that can be, we called the restaurant and were told that yes indeed, Friday at dinner will be their last hurrah, and a restaurant associate told us that, “employees were informed on Thursday that the owners simply cannot keep it open any longer.”
“Friday will be our last day.”
A popular fixture in the Beaufort restaurant scene for as long as almost anyone can remember, we first enjoyed their classic southern BBQ way back in 1992, the tasty Thursday and Friday lunch and dinner spot that served up all-you-can-eat BBQ will surely be missed.
Dukes was special. Their food was special. Having them here in town was special.
Going in to enjoy some fried chicken, homemade BBQ, hash, mac n cheese, rice, gravy, and all the fixins was a routine thing for several generations of locals and visitors.
Not to mention the delight of finishing off your meal with that homemade banana pudding for dessert.
This, coupled with the departure of Sgt. White’s Diner a few years back, leaves a hole in our collective stomachs.
But thankfully, Beaufort still has a few good BBQ spots left with Q on Bay in downtown, The Smokehouse in Port Royal, Island BBQ on Lady’s Island and KC Mike’s at Beaufort Town Center.
Please be sure to be as supportive as possible of our local businesses.
Be sure to eat local.
Be sure to shop local.
Be sure to BE local.
Every time we lose any one of our iconic local spots, we also lose a tiny piece of Beaufort’s personality.
